Quick answer: Open the Zoho Mail Admin Console (mailadmin.zoho.eu for EU accounts, mailadmin.zoho.com for US accounts). Then (1) verify your domain with a TXT record, (2) create your users, aliases and groups, (3) point your domain's MX records to Zoho, and (4) publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your mail doesn't land in spam. This guide walks through each step in that order.

Before you start

• Know your data center. Zoho runs separate regions, and every server name in your setup ends in that region's domain. If you log in at mail.zoho.eu your organisation is in the EU and you use zoho.eu everywhere below. At mail.zoho.com you use zoho.com. Mixing the two is the most common reason mail doesn't arrive.
• Have access to your DNS. If your domain is hosted with Ypsilon, the DNS zone is in Plesk (Websites & Domains → your domain → Hosting & DNS → DNS). If you use another DNS provider, add the same records there.
• Plan your addresses. Each mailbox (user) is a paid licence. Extra addresses for the same person (aliases) and shared addresses such as sales@ (groups) are free, so you rarely need one licence per address.

Step 1: Add and verify your domain

Zoho only delivers mail for a domain once you have proved that you own it.

1. In the Admin Console open Domains and add your domain (for example example.com), if it isn't listed yet.
2. Choose Verify and pick the TXT method. Zoho shows a value that looks like zoho-verification=zb12345678.zmverify.zoho.eu.
3. Add that value as a TXT record on the root of your domain (host @ or empty). In Plesk, leave the domain-name field empty.
4. Wait a few minutes, then click Verify in Zoho. If it fails, wait up to an hour for DNS to update and try again.

The CNAME and HTML-file methods work too, but TXT is the easiest to check and can stay in place permanently.

Step 2: Create users, aliases and groups

When you add a user, choose whether Zoho emails them an invitation or you set a password yourself. If someone needs their old mail, use Data Migration in the Admin Console to copy it from their previous provider over IMAP.

Step 3: Point your MX records to Zoho

MX records tell the rest of the internet where to deliver mail for your domain. Remove any existing MX records (in Plesk, usually mail.example.com), then add these:

If your DNS is in Plesk, also switch off Plesk's own mail service for the domain. Otherwise mail that your website sends to your own addresses stays on the server and never reaches Zoho. Our Zoho Mail DNS records in Plesk guide shows every click.

Step 4: SPF, DKIM and DMARC (so your mail isn't marked as spam)

• SPF: one TXT record on the root: v=spf1 include:zoho.eu ~all (US: include:zoho.com). A domain may have only one SPF record, so add include:zoho.eu to an existing one instead of creating a second.
• DKIM: in the Admin Console open Domains → your domain → Email configuration → DKIM, add a selector (for example zmail) and copy the long key. Publish it as a TXT record on zmail._domainkey, then click Verify and enable DKIM in Zoho.
• DMARC: start in monitoring mode with a TXT record on _dmarc: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]. Once SPF and DKIM pass for a few weeks, tighten it to p=quarantine.

For what each record does, see Why are SPF, DKIM and DMARC important?

Step 5: Check everything works

1. In the Admin Console, the domain page shows a green status for MX, SPF and DKIM once Zoho can see the records.
2. Send a message from an outside address (Gmail, Outlook) to your new mailbox, and reply to it.
3. In the received message in Gmail choose Show original. SPF, DKIM and DMARC should all say PASS.

DNS changes usually take effect within an hour but can take up to 24 hours. See Understanding DNS propagation.

Common problems

Next steps

• Add Zoho Mail to iPhone and Android (IMAP and SMTP settings)
• Understanding MX records

Don't have business email yet? Zoho Mail is available through Ypsilon. Order it in the store or open a ticket and we'll set up the DNS for you.